October 31, 2016 EditionEdition

Most new business owners, or those looking to expand, want to categorize expenses in the most beneficial manner for tax purposes. However, the rules for defining start-up costs can often be confusing.

The Federal Aviation Administration, through grants funded by the Airport Improvement Program, plays a significant but often overlooked role in supporting those chartered medical flights and all the other essential services provided by Maine's 35 public-use airports.

New hiresEMHS in Brewer hired Charlie Therrien as president of Mercy Hospital in Portland, Gregory LaFrancois as...

We're not going to get into the presidential election here, but offer a handy guide to statewide races and referenda that will be on the Nov. 8 ballot. With help from Maine Public, Ballotpedia and individual campaign websites, here's the breakdown:

In December, the American Society of Civil Engineers is expected to deliver its report on the state of Maine's infrastructure. The report comes out every four years. In 2012, ASCE gave Maine a C- grade, which believe it or not is slightly better than that of the United States, which earned a D+ grade.

The term “digital divide,” which has been used since the beginning of the internet era, was coined to reference the chasm between groups: those with internet access and those without.

The Critical Infrastructure Institute, as the entity would be known, is being created to face the state's need for new and updated bridges, roads and water systems. USM hopes to act as a think tank, making recommendations, while training students to play a role in upgrading vital infrastructure.

I've always felt that time spent gardening is time well spent, whether fertilizing, seeding or harvesting. It's not just the dirt under my fingernails, but the smells that signal the time of year, the damp scent of decaying leaves, the spicy smell of tomato vines.

The Maine Harvest Credit Project, which aims to create a specialized, socially responsible credit union focused on the new food economy in Maine, has raised $1.4 million, or about 60% of the money it needs from donors, to start what would be the state's 59th credit union.

Pitching a story to the media is a bit of a gamble. There's really no guarantee that a journalist is going to pick up on your story idea, no matter how great it is. Over the years, I've had some great media pitching successes and some complete failures too.

According to the Maine Department of Labor, a 2012 U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service census says 125 Maine farms reported hiring 2,706 migrant workers; that's about 18% of Maine's hired farm labor workforce.

In June, the Metro Breez hit the road, providing express bus service between Portland, Falmouth, Yarmouth and Freeport. Greg Jordan, general manager of Greater Portland Metro Transit, says that the service, which is a three-year pilot, is on its track to meet its ridership goals.